Malaysia linked to world’s largest money laundering scheme, NYT reports

Asian currency notes are seen in this photo illustration in Singapore January 17, 2013. — Reuters picKUALA LUMPUR, May 29 ― Unlicensed money exchangers in Malaysia had aided the operators of a global currency exchange that ran a US$6 billion (RM18.33 billion) money-laundering operation online, a hub for criminals peddling in everything from stolen identities to child pornography, The New York Times (NYT) reported.
The currency exchange called Liberty Reserve is believed to be the world’s largest cyber money-laundering case and was based in the United States but operated well beyond the country’s borders as well as traditional international banking regulations, providing easy and anonymous cover increasingly sought by criminals to fund their activities, the widely-read daily reported, citing American law enforcement officers.
Liberty Reserve was responsible for laundering billions of dollars over the past seven years, conducting 55 million transactions that involved millions of customers around the world, including about 200,000 in the United States, according to US federal prosecutors who were reported to have announced the charges against the currency exchange in Manhattan yesterday.
According to NYT which cited the charges, Liberty Reserve’s system was designed to let people move sums large and small around the world just by setting up an email address, which did not require the user’s identity to even be validated.
Liberty Reserve also did not take or make cash payments directly but used “third-party ‘exchangers’” that “tended to be unlicensed money-transmitting businesses without significant government oversight or regulation, concentrated in Malaysia, Russia, Nigeria and Vietnam”.
Still citing from the charge sheet, the NYT reported that the “third-party exchangers” would take and make payments, and then credit or debit the Liberty Reserve account, allowing the latter to avoid collecting any banking information on its clients and not leave a “centralized financial paper trail.”
The people who accepted Liberty Reserve’s currency were “overwhelmingly criminal in nature,” according to the indictment as reported by the NYT.
“They included, for example: traffickers of stolen credit card data and personal identity information; peddlers of various types of online Ponzi and get-rich-quick schemes; computer hackers for hire; unregulated gambling enterprises; and underground drug-dealing Web sites,” the daily cited the charges as reading.
“As alleged, the only liberty that Liberty Reserve gave many of its users was the freedom to commit crimes — the coin of its realm was anonymity, and it became a popular hub for fraudsters, hackers and traffickers,” Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in Manhattan was quoted saying at the news conference in Manhattan yesterday.

In The Lead - Gold And Inflation Call It Quits - Film At Eleven

After having once again failed at the $1,696 resistance level on Wednesday, gold prices headed lower for a third straight session this morning. In the process, the pivotal 200-day moving average price near the $1,608 level was breached by sellers. Spot gold prices hit an intra-day low of $1,655 per ounce earlier this morning. Silver fell to a low of $31.08 and was last seen trading at $31.30 after a small bounce, but it was still under previous support at $31.50 the ounce.
The principal downward price-moving factors that were identified this week were pretty much of the same flavor as we’ve seen before: improving US economic statistics, and a short-term resolution to the US debt ceiling debacle. On the former front, the markets were treated to numbers that showed a) the lowest level of initial jobless claims filings in five years, and b) the flash manufacturing purchasing managers’ best index reading since March of 2011.
The latest explanation as to why gold once again disappointed today was the one that saw a rise in German business confidence as eroding gold’s safe-haven appeal. Bloomberg News quoted veteran trader Frank Lesh as saying that “The economic conditions are looking up, so people are rethinking about their investments in gold. Equities seem more remunerative than gold at the moment.” It was also reported earlier in the week that US leading economic indicators rose in December at the best clip since the third quarter. A rebound in US real estate and related consumer purchases were behind the metrics.
Midweek wave analysis updates by EW indicated that gold had failed to confirm silver’s rally up to that point and that if prices were to break under the $1,665 support, then lower targets could come into play.   As for silver, the EW team opined that with prices having closed higher for eight sessions in a row up to Wednesday, the white metal was (over)due for a decline.
This (still) being January, the string of 2103 gold price forecasts keeps getting longer by the day. Reuters News ran its own survey of speculative market views and came up with several interesting findings the other day. First, the possibility that gold could reach a record high annual average price was floated, based on the tally provided by 37 gold market analysts’ projections.
continue reading...http://www.kitco.com/ind/Nadler/20130125.html

Silver to keep outperforming Gold in 2013 : Morgan Stanley

In a statement, Morgan Stanley however said macroeconomic conditions remain favorable for further price appreciation in the yellow metal.

NEW YORK(BullionStreet): American global financial services firm Morgan Stanley cut its gold price outlook for 2013 to $1773 a troy ounce.
The bank also cut silver price outlook for 2013 by 4% to $33.44 an ounce but said silver should continue to outperform gold on a relative basis this year, despite expected volatility, it added.
In a statement, Morgan Stanley however said macroeconomic conditions remain favorable for further price appreciation in the yellow metal.
The statement said the bank remain bullish on the gold price outlook in 2013 despite recent selling pressure triggered by market concerns of an earlier-than-previously-anticipated tightening in U.S. monetary policy.
The bank expect that very low nominal interest rates, an ongoing commitment to QE3, and a below-par recovery with attendant pressure on the U.S. easing will still combine to encourage investment buying of gold, despite elevated prices.
In the medium term, platinum and palladium have been "distinctly more attractive" following news of planned production cut-backs at Anglo American Platinum Ltd.'s mines, the bank said.
As such, any signs of success in executing these supply cutbacks could lead to more material gains in the platinum price later this year, it said.
"Such a development would reinforce our long-held view that platinum's historical premium to gold would eventually be restored, as platinum market fundamentals improve and investor appetite for gold as a hedge against financial market uncertainty gradually fades as the world economy and financial markets finally improve," Morgan Stanley said.
This year, the bank expects platinum to average $1,715/oz and palladium to average $708/oz.
Morgan Stanley marginally reduced its outlook on copper, aluminum, nickel and zinc prices for this year, while upping its view on lead and tin.

source: http://www.bullionstreet.com/news/silver-to-keep-outperforming-gold-in-2013-morgan-stanley/3908

Gaji ADUN Kelantan dalam dinar, dirham

09/11/2010 12:38pm

KOTA BHARU 9 Nov. - Separuh daripada gaji Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (Adun) Kelantan mungkin dibayar dalam bentuk dinar dan dirham, Dewan Undangan Negeri diberitahu hari ini.

Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Perancangan Ekonomi, Kewangan dan Kebajikan Negeri, Datuk Husam Musa berkata, pihaknya sedia untuk memanjangkan cadangan itu kepada Jabatan Perbendaharaan Negeri untuk diperhalusi.

"Kita cadang bawa perkara ini kepada pertimbangan kerajaan negeri dan juga Jabatan Perbendaharaan Negeri.

"Jika tiada apa halangan, kita mungkin akan melaksanakan separuh bayaran gaji kepada wakil rakyat dalam bentuk dinar dan dirham," katanya menjawab soalan Arifabillah Ibrahim (Pas-Dabong).

Beliau bagaimanapun berkata, cadangan pembayaran separuh bayaran gaji dengan menggunakan dinar dan dirham bergantung kepada pilihan para Adun sendiri.

"Atas pilihan masing-masing, kita boleh bayar menggunakan mata wang itu kepada mereka yang setuju, tetapi bagi yang tidak setuju, kita boleh terus bayar dengan duit kertas," kata Husam. - Bernama

Source:Utusan Malaysia

Manusia dan Emas...

Manusia dan Emas : Ada 5 jenis manusia yang akan kita jumpa mengenai emas !

1. Membeli emas sebagai perhiasan
2. Membeli emas sebagai simpanan
3. Membeli emas sebagai pelaburan
4. Membeli emas sebagai perniagaan
5. Membeli emas untuk melindungi kekayaan anda

Jadi...kita berada di dalam golongan yang mana ?

Kelantan lancar matawang syariah dinar, dirham

Kelantan lancar matawang syariah dinar, dirham

Salmah Mat Husain

KOTA BHARU, 12 Ogos: Selepas empat tahun Dinar Kelantan dilancarkan, hari ini di di bawah kepemimpinan ulama sekali lagi dicetus sejarah apabila melancar pula matawang syariah, Dinar dan Dirham Kelantan. Majlis bersejarah itu disempurnakan Menteri Besar, Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat di Kelantan Trade Centre (KTC). Program sempena Ramadan tersebut dianjurkan bersama Perbadanan Menteri Besar Kelantan dan Kelantan Golden Trade Sdn Bhd. (Gambar: Tuan Guru menyampaikan logo dinar kepada peniaga yang menerima mata wang dinar dirham untuk jual beli.) Pada majlis perasmian terbabit Menteri Besar melakukan gimik pelancaran dengan menyimpan dinar dan dirham ke dalam sebuah mesin untuk simpanan Tabung Haji. Matawang Dinar dan Dirham Kelantan boleh digunakan untuk pembayaran gaji, zakat, mas kahwin dan perniagaan. Pada 2006 kerajaan negeri melancarkan Dinar Kelantan dalam tiga bentuk iaitu satu dinar penuh berukuran 23 mm dengan berat 4.25 gm bernilai RM332.25. Selain itu separuh dinar bersaiz 20 mm (1.06 gm) bernilai RM176.76) dan suku dinar bersaiz 21 mm (0.5 gm) bernilai RM99.38. Kini nilaian dinar tersebut sudah meningkat berbanding ketika dilancarkan. Dinar tersebut mendapat sambutan menggalakkan untuk simpanan nilai dan mas kahwin. Pada majlis pelancaran itu, sejumlah RM100,000 telah dibeli orang ramai. Kelantan lancar matawang syariah dinar, dirham Ogos 12, 10 5:53pm Kongsi 160 Kelantan berhasrat menjadi negeri pertama mempelopori penggunaan emas dan perak yang dikenali mata wang syariah emas dinar dan perak dirham. Menteri Besar Kelantan Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat berkata adalah menjadi hasratnya untuk melihat Kelantan mempelopori penggunaan mata wang syariah dalam semua urusniaga, termasuk membayar gaji kakitangan kerajaan negeri. Bagaimanapun, katanya, masih banyak soal teknikal yang perlu diatasi oleh kerajaan negeri sebelum dapat melaksanakannya. "Kita bercadang mengamalkan semua urusniaga dan membayar gaji kakitangan menggunakan mata wang syariah, iaitu dinar emas dan dirham ini secara menyeluruh tidak lama lagi," katanya pemberita selepas majlis pelancaran dinar emas di Kota Bharu, hari ini. Dinar emas dan dirham itu dikendalikan oleh Kelantan Gold Trade (KGT) iaitu anak syarikat Perbadanan Menteri Besar Kelantan (PMBK). Simbolik kepada majlis pelancaran itu, Nik Abdul Aziz menyerahkan dinar emas kepada Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif PMBK, Mustapha Salleh bagi pembayaran gaji kepada kakitangannya untuk bulan ini. Nik Abdul Aziz, yang juga Pengerusi PMBK berkata, sehingga ini lebih 1,000 peniaga bersetuju menggunakan emas dinar dan dirham sebagai mata wang alternatif untuk berurusniaga di premis mereka. Selain itu, Tabung Haji dan Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad (BIMB) bersetuju menjadi ejen dan menerima mata wang syariah itu untuk berurusniaga. Beliau berkata, tidak ada sebab urusniaga mengunakan mata wang syariah ini tidak boleh diamalkan di negeri ini kerana penggunaannya telah diamalkan sebelum kejatuhan Kerajaan Othmani di Turki. Sehubungan itu, beliau menggalakkan semua pihak menggunakan mata wang syariah itu secara menyeluruh dan bukan untuk negeri ini sahaja. - Bernama Source : Harakah, Malaysiakini

Pengurusan Kewangan dan Simpanan Emas (Wang vs Emas)

(TERBUKA SELURUH WARGA MALAYSIA)

Julung-julung kalinya diadakan secara besar-besaran! Selepas ini akan diikuti dengan siri 2 dan siri 3, insyaallah.....

SEMINAR SEHARI SIRI 1 | PENGURUSAN KEWANGAN DAN PENIAGAAN EMAS (WANG vs EMAS)

Tarikh : 23 Januari 2010 (Sabtu)

Tempat : Dewan Sultan Mizan (DSM), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT)

Masa : 8.00 pagi hingga 5.00 petang

Bayaran : RM35 untuk 1 orang (Tempat duduk hanya terhad kepada 2000 orang pertama sahaja)

Perasmi Seminar : Naib Canselor UMT

Anjuran : Persatuan Pentadbir dan Ikhtisas UMT (PERENTAS) dengan kerjasama Public Fine Gold International Sdn. Bhd.
Makan/minum : Disediakan oleh pihak penganjur

Penceramah jemputan :

1. Sesi 1 : Dato' Salleh bin Majid (Mantan Presiden BSKL)
2. Sesi 2 : En. Syukor bin Hashim (Pemilik blog jutawanemas.com)
3. Sesi 3 : En. Louis Ng (Pengerusi Eksekutif Public Fine Gold International (PFGI) Sdn. Bhd.)
4. Sesi 4 : AKPK (Agensi Kaunseling dan Pengurusan Kredit)

Hubungi 012.9897.399. Jangan lepaskan peluang keemasan ini. Pakar-pakar kewangan sedia membantu kita semua. Insyaallah...